1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit connector, a flexible printed circuit inserted into the same, a display device having the same, and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a flexible printed circuit connector capable of increasing the number of connecting terminals, a flexible printed circuit capable of increasing the width of a pad terminal connected to each of the connecting terminals, a display device having the flexible printed circuit connector, and a method of connecting the flexible printed circuit to the flexible printed circuit connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to provide a thin, small and lightweight liquid crystal display (“LCD”) device, each element constituting the LCD device, for example, a backlight, a connector, a printed circuit board (“PCB”), or a coupling structure, has been studied.
The LCD device includes an LCD panel, a backlight assembly for providing light to the LCD panel, and a driving circuit for generating various signals needed to achieve an image.
The driving circuit includes a gate driver for driving the LCD panel, a data driver, a timing controller for controlling the gate driver and the data driver, and a power source.
The timing controller and the power source are mounted on a control PCB to supply control signals and driving voltages to the gate driver and the data driver.
The gate driver and the data driver are integrated into a plurality of integrated circuits (“IC”s). Each of the data driver IC and the gate driver IC is mounted on a tape carrier package (“TCP”) and the TCPs are connected to the LCD panel. The gate and data driver ICs receive the control signals and driving voltages from the control PCB through signal lines formed on a data PCB connected to the TCP.
The control PCB and the data PCB are connected to each other through respective PCB connectors formed thereon. Since the PCB connector has a two-column array structure, there are many connectable terminals in relation to the occupied area. However, since the connector is mounted on both PCBs with male and female forms, it has a relatively high height or thickness.
The control PCB and the data PCB are connected to each other in such a manner that a flexible printed circuit (“FPC”) attached to either of the two PCBs is connected to a connector formed on the other PCB. In this case, since the FPC connector into which the FPC is inserted is mounted on only one of the PCBs, it has less constraint in height than the PCB connector but has a small number of connecting terminals in relation to an area occupied by the PCB.
In order to solve such a problem, as shown in FIG. 1A, a method has been proposed to increase the number of connecting terminals 10 in a connector by reducing a distance d between the connecting terminals 10. Another proposed method, as shown in FIG. 1B, is to differently array the widths of first and second connecting parts 10a and 10b of each of the connecting terminals 10 and to alternately array the first and second connecting parts 10a and 10b. However, in the structures shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the distance between the connecting terminals 10 becomes narrow and a coating layer formed at each of the connecting terminals 10 is grown, thereby generating a short between adjacent connecting terminals 10. Moreover, since the distance between the connecting terminals 10 of the connector is narrow, an align defect occurs between a corresponding connecting terminal and an FPC pad terminal.